Every Move You Make
by Heavenly Pearl
Summary: Looking for revenge, a villain from the past begins stalking Rei.


WARNING: Stalking, threats of a vaguely sexual nature, and off-screen violence.

Every Move You Make

"What's wrong, Rei?"

Rei's eyes scanned the vicinity, searching for any sign of suspicious behavior. She thought she had sensed something, but other than Minako, no one else was around. She frowned, turning her attention back to Minako.

"I thought somebody was following us."

"Who?" Copying Rei, Minako glanced over at her shoulder. "I don't see anyone."

"I don't know. I've just had this creepy feeling all day that somebody's been watching me."

Minako turned back around. "It's probably just some guy trying to get up the nerve to ask you on a date. How romantic!" She let out a wistful sigh. "Why do you always have all the luck when it comes to men? I wish I had some cute boy following me around all day…"

Rei cocked an eyebrow. "One, stalking is not romantic. Two, we don't know who it is, much less what he or she looks like."

"Are you _sure _you're being followed?" Minako asked, taking one more look behind them. "Maybe you're just being paranoid after that scary movie we saw last night."

"Please, that movie was so lame," Rei said with a roll of her eyes. "I knew who the killer was from the start."

Minako huffed. "Well, I didn't. Hey, remember that one scene, where the guy -?"

"Getting off topic, Minako."

"Anyway, nobody is around, so unless your mystery stalker is the Invisible Man, I think your psychic powers must be out of whack."

"Maybe…" By that time, the two of them had reached the bottom of the steps leading up to Hikawa Shrine.

"You're really freaked out about this, aren't you?" Minako asked as they came to a stop.

"No, of course not," Rei lied, trying her best to pretend it didn't bother her. She wasn't a scaredy cat like Usagi, who had spent nearly the two hours they were at the movie theater with her face buried in Rei's shoulder. She was Sailor Mars, more than capable of taking care of herself should the need arise. "You're right. I'm probably just imagining things."

"I can stay if you want."

"You don't have to do that. I'll be fine. Besides, aren't you and your parents going out to dinner tonight to celebrate your father's birthday?" She indicated the festively wrapped box Minako carried under her left arm.

"Oh, yeah, right." At the reminder, Minako looked down at her Sailor V wristwatch. "Speaking of which, I should probably head home and start getting dressed. The Dragon Lady will have my legagain if I make us late for the reservation. See you later!"

"Bye."

Once Minako was out of sight, Rei climbed up the stairs to the shrine, still unable to shake the feeing that she was being watched. In fact, the feeling was stronger than before, and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention. She dashed up the last remaining steps and stopped in front of the shrine's sacred tree, where Phobos and Deimos were sitting, perched on one of the tree's branches. She was glad to see that she wasn't the only one on edge, Deimos flapping her wings as if she had been startled.

"Keep an eye out, okay?" she told the two birds. "I know Minako thinks I'm just being paranoid, but…" Rei shook her head. "Just keep alert for any strangers lurking around."

The crows cawed in reply, and Rei headed inside the shrine's living quarters. "I'm home! Grandpa?"

When he didn't come to greet her, Rei remembered that her grandfather had gone to Kyoto to visit a sick friend. She had the shrine to herself for the entire weekend. Normally, she would be happy to have some alone time, but now she wished she had taken up Minako's offer. Rei locked the front door behind her, then headed to her bedroom to change out of her street clothes and into her miko garb. With Grandpa gone, the shrine was closed, but she still had chores to do, and she wanted to perform a fire reading to see if she could learn more about her invisible stalker.

She entered the room containing the shrine's sacred fire after finishing her chores and tried to perform a reading, but to her frustration, nothing appeared in the flames. When an hour had passed with no luck, she gave up for the night.

Kneeling in front of the fire for so long had made her sweaty, so Rei decided to take a bath before preparing dinner. Once immersed in the warm bathwater, she began to relax for the first time all day. Her peaceful moment was ruined, however, when she suddenly heard Phobos and Deimos making a terrible racket outside.

"Those birds!"

Annoyed, Rei climbed out of the tub and wrapped a towel around herself. She then headed to the front door, intending to give her pets a piece of her mind.

"Phobos! Deimos! If this is -"

The moment she slid the door open, Rei brought a hand to her mouth, suppressing a scream. The two crows - her faithful companions since childhood - were dead on the ground, laying in a pool of red blood and black feathers.

"W-Who would have -?"

Somebody grabbed her from behind, taking advantage of her shock, and shackled her hands behind her back. Before she had the chance to fight back, her assailant had her restrained, one arm wrapped around her waist while he held a sharp knife to her throat.

"You really should have taught your little pets to mind their own business," a masculine voice said, sending a shock of déjà vu through Rei's mind.

"Who are you?" she asked in an even voice, forcing herself to remain calm. She wished she had her henshin stick on hand, but she stupidly had left it with her miko robes in the furo.

"You're not going to shout for help?"

"If I did, you would slit my throat before anybody could come to my rescue."

"Smart girl."

"Answer my questions: who are you, and what do you want?" Rei demanded again. "If it's money you're after, the shrine was closed today, so there's nothing in the donation box."

"I'm not here for money, although that is a shame."

"Then what is it you want?" Mentally, she reviewed the self-defense moves her grandfather and Makoto had taught in case she was ever assaulted. He was strong, but everyone had a weak point. A kick to the balls? That could work…

The man brought his mouth next to her ear and growled, "Revenge, my dear Mars, revenge."

Rei had managed to keep cool up until that point, but she let out a gasp, not expecting her attacker would know her secret identity.

"Yes, we've met before, Sailor Mars," he said, answering her unasked question. "Five years ago, to be exact. The last time we fought, I believe you and your companions tried to run me over with an airplane."

With that piece of information, Rei realized why his voice had sounded so familiar. Her eyes narrowed. "Jadeite."

"So you do remember me? I'm touched."

"I thought you were dead."

"You thought wrong. I managed to escape at the last moment, but Queen Beryl punished me for my failure by putting me into an Eternal Sleep." Jadeite chucked. "Unfortunately for you, an Eternal Sleep isn't so eternal after all."

"Queen Beryl is dead," she informed him. "We defeated the Dark Kingdom a long time ago. There's no reason to go after us now."

"That's where you're mistaken. I have every reason to get even with you girls, who made a fool out of me one too many times." His hold on her tightened, causing Rei to yelp in pain, and he brought the blade even closer to her jugular. "I've dreamt of this moment for a long time, Sailor Mars. Revenge is indeed going to be sweet."

"What do you intend to do to me?"

Jadeite loosened his grip slightly, but still kept her restrained. "That depends on how cooperative you are. I could be persuaded to go easy on you, provided you tell me the identities of your comrade Mercury, and especially your leader, Sailor Moon."

"Don't you already know who they are?" she asked, confused. "You saw us all in our civilian identities that day."

"My memory of that time is unclear. Yours was the only face I remembered, although I wasn't certain at first if I had the right person." Jadeite ran the flat side of his blade along her jaw line, forcing Rei to crane her neck and look at him for the first time. His other hand moved up to cup one of her breasts through her towel. "So beautiful… You've certainly grown-up since the last time I saw you, Mars - or would you prefer I call you by your other name, Rei?"

She shuddered. "Call me anything you want. Just get your hands off me, you bastard."

"You're still as annoyingly stubborn as I remember." He repositioned the knife at her throat, but kept his hand over her left breast. "Now, tell me who your friends are."

"Never!" she spat.

"There's no need to make this so difficult. I'm offering to spare your life here. Why should you have to die in order to protect them?"

"Because I love them, and I know they would do the same for me."

"You may be five years older, but you're still the same naïve little girl you were back then," he said, flattening his hand over her breast. "I can feel your heart pounding, Rei. You're scared. You're more frightened than you have ever been before. You don't want to die, and there's no reason why you should have to. Sailor Moon is the one I hate the most, not you. Tell me who she is, and I'll settle for just taking something else of yours." He kissed her bare shoulder, causing Rei to tremble in a mixture of disgust and fear. "Who knows, you might even enjoy it."

"I'll never tell you who they are," Rei declared. "I'd rather be called naïve than be a cynical villain like you who has never known true love or friendship."

"You will not change you mind? This is your last chance."

"Do whatever you want to me. I will not betray my friends to save myself."

"Then say your prayers, Sailor Mars, Rei Hino. You are about to die."

* * *

"Rei, it's me, Minako. I remembered your grandpa was out of town, so I thought I would drop by and make sure you were okay." Minako slid open the door to the shrine's living quarters when nobody answered, surprised that it was unlocked. "Rei? You home?" she called out, slipping out of her shoes.

It was then that she first noticed the blood on the floor.

"Rei?"

Praying that Rei was alright, Minako followed the trail of blood spatters to Rei's bedroom. She barely held back a scream when she saw the body of a blond man laying on the floor, a knife stabbed into his chest.

"I killed him," Rei said in a soft voice from her spot in the corner of the room. Dressed only in a white blood-spattered towel, she was covered in scratches and bruises. "He wanted Usagi and Ami. He offered to spare me if I gave them up, but I didn't, so I killed him."

Minako shrugged out of her coat and placed it around Rei's shoulders. She wasn't making much sense, but it was obvious that she was in shock. "It's okay, Rei. It's going to be okay."

"I told you someone was stalking me." Rei's voice began to shake, along with her entire body. "You said I was being paranoid. You left me here, to face him by myself."

"I'm sor-"

"YOU LEFT ME!"

Not knowing what else to do, Minako embraced the sobbing Rei, every cry piercing her heart like the knife in the man's chest.

DISCLAIMER: Sailor Moon is the property of Naoko Takeuchi.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: Winner of the "You Scare My Socks Off" challenge at the "sailormoonland" community at Livejournal.


End file.
